David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.

Below, a haiga (haiku and image) by Basho. The drawing depicts a New Year's Eve home altar offering of Kagami mochi which is traditionally broken and eaten in a ritual called kagami biraki (mirror opening).

collection FIAPCE

We don't have a translation of the above Basho haiku, but here's a thematic contender, translated by Jane Reichhold :

27 December 2018

[Chorus]I drank from the right glassI’m takin’ the right pathBut it is testing meI'll have the last laughDown at the work taskThey’ll get the best of meOh, the cup of destinyI drank from the right glassI'm takin' the right pathBut it is testing meI'll have the last laughDown at the work taskThey’ll get the best of meOh, the cup of destiny

[Verse]Well you never really know it till it hits yaYou see it in your face, an old school pictureYou pour yourself one every nightIt doesn't mean that you're wrong or rightLook at the bottle, look at the glassThere is your future, there is your pastIt all makes sense when you get someIt doesn't matter if you're old or all doneAmy Taylor at GizzfestDec 9- photoWDZIEKONSKI

18 December 2018

Clement Meadmore: The art of mid-century design is the first major survey to focus on the industrial design practice of one of Australia's most internationally successful artists.

Curated by Dean Keep and Jeromie Maver,

the exhibition charts the evolution of Clement Meadmore's design aesthetic in the 1950s and early 60s, before he shifted his focus to sculpture, and highlights the role Meadmore played alongside Australia’s most innovative and progressive designers of the mid-century period.

In 1955, prior to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Meadmore was commissioned by Ion Nicolades to design the interiors of the Legend Espresso and Milk Bar and the Teahouse, both in Melbourne. Drawing upon international modernism and a

new-found passion for Italian culture, the

Legend Espresso and Milk Bar is arguably one of Meadmore’s greatest achievements and became a touchstone for many young creatives in 1950s Melbourne...

08 December 2018

Due for release in January 2019, a memoir about showbiz in the early 20th century that travels from the theatres of Vienna, Prague, and Berlin, to Hollywood during the golden age, complete with encounters with Franz Kafka, Albert Einstein, and Greta Garbo along the way.